Experiential learning in Preschool

In very simple words, learning by doing can be called as experiential learning. It is a known fact that when an individual does an activity himself, he tends to remember better, understand the exact procedure and replicate if required. Hence schools have laboratories where students perform experiments themselves for in depth understanding. But is experiential learning limited to this? Why is it so important not only for teenagers but also for toddlers? Let us explore some known dimensions of Experiential learning in toddlers and kids. 

Toddlers have the maximum level of curiosity. They are always eager to explore and always ready to do new activities. They are observant about everything and anything that surrounds them. Experiential learning is an absolutely excellent way to harness this curiosity and yield productive results. Rather than just listening to the concept, they are allowed to experience it by doing it. This way they are actively participating in the learning process.  

Experiential learning follows a systematic approach and makes the learning process more fun. Firstly, children are explained the concept through the formal manner. The teacher tries to introduce the concept and uses the traditional method for making them acquainted with the concept. But it doesn’t stop here. In the next stage, teachers design activities related to the concept. Kids have a hands- on- experience when they do the fun activities themselves. These activities involve the children and make the concept absolutely clear as the kids have to apply the concept in the real setting. Lastly, teachers also conduct a reflection activity to understand the recall of the concept. This way experiential learning completes the stages in the learning process. 

The long term benefits of experiential learning are very significant. All the activities chosen have great potential for developing the interest and the skills of toddlers. With experiential learning, they encounter unusual situations and different problems. Here they try to themselves find unique solutions for overcoming these unpredictable situations. They briefly develop the skill of problem solving and self dependency. Toddlers are completely involved in the activity and hence the memory retention is always higher is such a learning process. They do it themselves thereby satisfying their curiosity and understand all the aspects of the concept. The application then becomes easier the next time. As they go on solving the activities themselves, they experience a boom in self esteem and confidence. Importantly, this serves as their bases for learning new things in life.  

Edsmart’s integrated 360 degree curriculum offers opportunity for children to explore with experiential learning. The concept learning becomes a journey as the child explores different possibilities with experiential learning experience. This opens up window of opportunities for teacher or a facilitator to understand the child in a better way.  

Experiential learning is a very important aspect of learning process as the results are it has a great impact that last longer and is clearly visible in other arenas of learning process.